It would be easy to excuse Bill Truex from member recruiting efforts. As the president of president of the and a County Commissioner in Charlotte County, Fla. – an elected position – Truex is a busy man.

Add to his official duties a devastating hurricane slamming into his state and no one would bat an eyelash at the longtime builder putting membership drive efforts on the back burner.

But Truex is committed to the NAHB Federation and his HBAs (he is also a former president of the ) and sees full membership as the best possible advocacy tool for builders.

“With everyone on board, we can show legislators and others that we have power and are motivated,” he said.

Truex believes in doing business with members, so much so that he was the first recipient of the FHBA Paul Joyal Pinnacle Builder of the Year, awarded to the member doing the highest percentage of business with other FHBA members.

Days after being installed as FHBA president in early October, Hurricane Michael hit the Florida panhandle with ferocious winds and catastrophic storm surge. He immediately began mobilizing relief efforts for the panhandle HBAs and their members while the CDBIA was in the middle of its membership drive.

Doing whatever it took to help his neighbors recover and strengthen his federation, Truex continued to make recruiting calls to his subcontractors and business partners.

“I made the calls and told them I didn’t have time to convince them, they needed to act,” said Truex. “You have to make the ask, no matter the circumstances. No one will join if you don’t ask them to.”

Truex ended up bringing in 31 new builder and associate members.

The relief efforts served as a visible example of the power of a strong association and Federation. “This is what we do,” he told potential members, “we have each other’s backs.”

Those relief efforts are ongoing, and even intensifying. As the national spotlight shifts to other disasters, the panhandle of Florida and parts of Alabama and Georgia are still in emergency conditions.

A recent report on the rebuilding efforts noted that the official death toll continues to rise and some 100,000 residents are seeking FEMA housing. With many residents still in makeshift housing, including tents, Truex is once again organizing and shipping donations to the area.

“Right now, we’re focused on getting winter clothing to people in the panhandle and we’re doing a toy drive so the kids up there can have something resembling a normal Christmas,” said Truex.

Echoing his membership recruiting efforts, Truex said he’ll do whatever it takes to help the community recover.

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Comments (3)

We built a home with Bill Truex and all I can say is that, still, after living in it for coming close to two years, this article is just the tip of the iceberg of how great Bill, and those that work for him, is.

I’ve never met or worked with a company so honest and has such great service after the sale. It’s no surprise to my wife and myself that he is such a great leader in everything he does.